مولوی محمد یحییٰ تنہاؔ
افسوس ہے کہ گزشتہ رمضان میں مولوی محمد یحییٰ تنہا مرحوم نے کراچی میں انتقال کیا، مرحوم اردو زبان کے مشہور اہل قلم، اس کے پرانے خدمت گزار اور متعدد کتابوں کے مصنف و مترجم تھے، ان کی سب سے مشہور و مفید کتاب سیر المصنفین اور مراۃ الشعراء ہے، دونوں دو جلدوں میں ہیں، سیرالمصنفین میں شروع سے لے کر موجودہ دور تک کے مصنفین کے حالات اور ان کی تصانیف پر تبصرہ ہے، اس میں اردو کی پوری تاریخ آگئی ہے، مراۃ الشعراء اردو کے شعراء کا تذکرہ ہے، اﷲ تعالیٰ ان کی مغفرت فرمائے۔
(شاہ معین الدین ندوی، فروری ۱۹۶۷ء)
Long COVID or post-COVID problems are long-term effects of COVID-19 infection that certain people who have contracted the virus can experience. This may result in having persistent symptoms for 3 months or more, such as those who had tiredness, malaise, changed smell and taste, dyspnea, and cognitive deficits three or more months after their initial COVID-19 diagnosis. However, some people may still have inferior work performance and a lower quality of life due to the long COVID episodes. From October 2021 to April 2022, cross-sectional research was conducted in Karachi, utilizing an electronic questionnaire to record sociodemographic data, current comorbidities, and previous episodes of acute COVID-19, post-COVID symptoms, and job performance among COVID survivors. The study's findings revealed that more than 35% of individuals surveyed claimed to have had COVID symptoms for six weeks or more, with approximately 20% to 30% of those reporting frequent coughing and appetite loss. Planning prevention, rehabilitation, and clinical treatment need an awareness of long-term COVID and its related components in order to maximize recovery and long-term COVID-19 outcomes. DOI: https: //doi. Org/10.59564/amrj/01.01/007
This study is anattempt to determine the extent to which the English language textbook, “English for Class 8”(taught at grade VIII) by the Punjab Textbook Board fulfills the needs of the students‟ learning English as foreign language in Pakistan. The study aimed to analyze: mechanical practice, meaningful practice, and above all communicative (oral) practice as used in the current English language textbook. This textbook is currently used in public sector schools across Punjab. Interpretive research paradigm had been employed for this study, which implies that principally it is a qualitative study; however, quantitative method were also used to investigate the main aspects of the research study. The main qualitative methods included semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and document analysis. The only quantitative method used were the survey questionnaires. The purpose of this study was to investigate as to what extent the suggested textbook facilitates language acquisition and its meaningful application. For this purpose, grade VIII English language textbook was selected to see as to what degree it includes communicative tasks, and in this respect, how it encourages the development of Communicative Competence (CC, Oral proficiency). The participants of this research were selected from public sector schools and organizations including teachers, policymakers, curriculum developers, subject specialists, and students to examine the effectiveness of English language textbook (grade VIII) on students‟ performance with special reference to Oral CC. For content analysis, an evaluation checklist was developed as the main tool to measure the efficiency of the textbook (in developing oral Communicative Competence) under focus. It allowed a more in-depth evaluation of the textbook in reference to a set of generalizable evaluative criteria. Based on the review of the literature on the textbook evaluation checklists, the researcher developed a point five Likert scale to suit the purpose of present research. Data analysis for quantitative portion used descriptive statistics illustrated through tables, and figures, whereas for the interpretation of qualitative data, themes were developed, coded and summarized in a descriptive mode. In the end the researcher offers a model (teaching unit) to be followed by the policy makers and practitioners in order to make the existing English language textbook more effectives in terms of oral CC and language skill development. The results of this study reflect that the relevant textbook does not cater to the target learners‟ future academic and professional language needs because the tasks/activities offered ,do not focus on sociolinguistic and discourse- level of the target language. Besides, many activities present in the textbook offer meaningless and discrete-point exercises which do not contribute to any skill development. There is limited oral interaction presented in the form of “oral skill development”.